Migrants picked up at sea, while attempting to cross the English Channel from France, arrive into the Port of Dover in southeast England, on April 01, 2026 on board the Dover Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboat. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)
Lille, France: Two migrants died Wednesday while trying to cross the Channel to Britain, French maritime authorities said.
Rescue services responded to eight people in distress following an attempt to board a vessel on the northern French coast, according to the maritime prefecture for the Channel and the North Sea.
The two dead were a Sudanese man and an Afghan man, according to a police source.
Authorities also took a woman to hospital, though her condition is not life-threatening.
Five survivors were taken into custody, the police source added.
The eight were among around 30 people waiting to board the boat, spotted by French authorities early Wednesday morning.
These are the first reported deaths in the Channel this year involving migrants.
In 2025, at least 29 people died, according to an AFP tally based on official French and British sources.
France has long been a launchpad for migrants hoping to reach Britain, taking the dangerous journey in often flimsy, overcrowded craft.
Nearly 50,000 people aboard 795 boats attempted to make the crossing last year, according to French official figures.
British authorities recorded 41,472 small-boat arrivals in 2025, the second-highest total after a record 45,774 in 2022.
